Central hires Marsh as coach

Shawn Marsh once again will be a Grand Valley high school head football coach, this time at Central High School.

Central Athletic Director Randy Powell on Friday announced the hiring of Marsh, who graduated from Central in 1987 and from Mesa State College in 1992.

Marsh coached at Grand Junction High School for 13 seasons, seven as a head football coach, and led the Tigers to a Class 4A state runner-up finish in 2005.

He took over as head coach of Fruita Monument in 2010. He stayed with the Wildcats for one season before taking an assistant coaching position at Mesa State.

Marsh takes over for a Warriors team that went 0-10 last fall.

Powell said Marsh met some of his future athletes at the school Friday.

“You could instantly see his ability to make relationships with the kids,” Powell said.

Fruita head football coach Sean Mulvey was an assistant coach under Marsh for three seasons — two at Grand Junction and one at Fruita. Mulvey took over for Marsh as the Wildcats head coach.

“I’m excited for him,” Mulvey said. “I got a chance to talk with him last week, and he still has that passion. He’s ready to coach, and he’s great for the kids.”

Central wrestling coach Laurence Gurule said he knew Marsh when Marsh was in fourth grade coming to the valley from Wyoming.

“He walked into my wrestling room, ‘I said, ‘Come on in,’ and the rest was history,” Gurule said. “Shawn’s got the respect of his athletes and has got a great work ethic, and he’s been around multiple programs. ... He makes other coaches feel important as part of the program, and he’s a big supporter of all athletics at the high school level.”

Marsh has coached at all four Grand Valley high schools. After graduating from Mesa in 1992, he was an assistant coach at Palisade and Central before being selected the head coach at Paonia.